Thursday, May 31, 2018

STUMPERS CCLVIII

Can you think of a familiar four-word expression meaning to strictly enforce rules that changes to an expression meaning the opposite by adding a single letter at the beginning of the first word?

HINT:
The added letter is P.

Answer:

LAY DOWN THE LAW - PLAY DOWN THE LAW
DOUBLE DUTY CIII

Fill in the blanks with words or letters that will complete the word or phrase beginning on the left and begin the word or phrase ending on the right. The number of blanks indicates the number of letters in the missing word.

1. OO  _ _ RO
2. SQU _ _ ALONE
3. JURY _ _ _ LUNCH
4. HIGH _ _ _ GAIN
5. RUSH _ _ _ _ HAND
6. DUTY _ _ _ _ VERSE
7. TEEN _ _ _ _ WORSHIP
8. BICYCLE _ _ _ _ _ STORE
9. DRAW _ _ _ _ _ _ THEORY
10. BITTER _ _ _ _ _ _ _ MOON

HINTS:
The first of the missing letters:
1. Z
2. A
3. B
4. B
5. H
6. F
7. I
8. C
9. S
10. H

Answers:

1. ooZEro
2. squABalone
3. juryBOXlunch
4. highBARgain
5. rushHOURhand
6. dutyFREEverse
7. teenIDOLworship
8. bicycleCHAINstore
9. drawSTRINGtheory
10. bitterHARVESTmoon  
FACTUAL RIDDLES XXXII

1. What is Earth's largest archipelago?

2. What is Earth's largest lake?

3. What is Earth's largest island?

4. What is the coldest, driest, and windiest place on Earth?

Answers:

1. Indonesia
2. Caspian Sea
3. Greenland (Australia is a continent.) 
4. Antarctica
Can you think of a Spoonerism which names a pale Ph.D. ceremony?

HINT:
It is associated with an exclusive club at Harvard University.

Answer:

Hasty Pudding and pasty hooding
What do the following words have in common?

1. BE

2. FRAY
3. DIVE
4. ACCENT
5. PRESENT

HINT:
The same two, consecutive letters, in the same order, will change each word to a new one.

Answer:

The letters ID can be inserted into each word to get a new one:

1. BIDE

2. FRIDAY
3. DIVIDE
4. ACCIDENT
5. PRESIDENT
PERFECT JOBS

If BRANDON is a cattle rancher, what is_________'s job?

1. LANDON
2. DARREN
3. ROWAN
4. WARREN
5. DUSTIN

Answers:

1. Pilot
2. Stuntman
3. Canoer
4. Mercenary
5. Housekeeper

Sunday, May 13, 2018

The answers to the clues below combine in a special way. Can you determine what it is?

1. British waiting line
2. Ram's mate
3. A, B, ? - Vital trio
4. A drink with jam and bread
5. www prefix

Answer:

1. Queue
2. Ewe
3. O (blood type)
4. Tea
5. e - - - - - - - - - - - Q-U-O-T-E

NY Times Crossword
May 21, 2006
Ashish Vengsarkar
SPELLBOUND 
What do the following people have in common?

1. Julius Caesar
2. Hannibal Barca
3. Christopher Columbus
4. George Washington
5. Gertrude Ederle

Answer:

They all made famous crossings:

1. Caesar crossed the Rubicon
2. Hannibal crossed the Alps
3. Columbus crossed the Atlantic
4. Washington crossed the Delaware
5. Gertrude Ederle - first woman to swim across the English Channel

PALINDROMES  XVIII

NY Times Crossword
May 9, 2006
Patrick Blindauer

The answers to the clues below are palindromes:

1. Slogan for a party animal
2. Southern recipe direction
3. New Haven event with a baton
4. Start of an audiophile's wish
5. Say "An apple a day gets the worm," for example

HINTS:
The beginnings of the palindromes and the number of additional letters are:
1. REV_ _   _ _ _ _
2. STI_   _ _ _ _ _
3. YAL _   _ _ _ _ _
4. IF I _ _ _   _   _ _ _ _
5. MI_   _   _ _ _ _ _

Answers:

1. REVEL EVER 
2. STIR GRITS
3. YALE RELAY
4. IF I HAD A HIFI
5. MIX A MAXIM

How many well-known people can you think of whose last names are preceded by the same two initials? There are at least six.

HINTS:
1. Pooh
2. Lucille
3. Catalogue
4. Lama
5. Saki
6. 5 & 10

(Possible) Answers:

1. A.A. Milne
2. B.B. King
3. L.L. Bean
4. e.e. cummings
5. H.H. Munro
6. J.J. Newberry 

Friday, May 11, 2018

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
NY Times Crossword
May 21, 2000
Matt Gaffney (#1-5)

Can you think of words that relate to or describe the work done by these five organizations, according to the letters of their abbreviations?

1. F.B.I.
2. N.A.S.A.
3. I.R.S.
4. E.P.A
5. U.S.A.F.
6. C.I.A.
7. D.N.A.

(Possible) Answers:

1. Finds Bad Individuals
2. Named A Shuttle Atlantis
3. Income Return Sought
4. Earth's Primary Advocate
5. Usually Stops All Foes
6. Controls Information Autocratically
7. Describes Natural Attributes
 


SO MANY PROBLEMS
NY Times Crossword
May 18, 2000
Patrick Berry (adapted)

If a business tycoon's problem is NO BIG DEAL, what about ................

1. A sweepstakes entrant's problem?
2. An ice cream shop's problem?
3. Dorothy's problem?
4. Craps table worker's problem?
5. Jose's problem?
6. Comedian's problem?
7. Alex Trebek's problem?
8. Bob's problem?
9. Mr. Spock's problem?
10. Procrastinator's problem?

Answers:

1. No contest
2. No great shakes
3. No place like home
4. No dice
5. No way
6. No joke
7. No questions
8. No sirree
9. No nonsense
10. No time like the present 




Thursday, May 10, 2018

__________ to __________ IV

Each clue below can be answered using the same two words in an expression  in the form of ________ to ________.

For example, given the clue IN A CONFRONTATIONAL MANNER, the answer could be Face to face.

1. Type of intense combat
2. Canvass a neighborhood, as for sales (with GO)
3. Intimate conversation
4. Flight from LA to NY
5. Very crowded
6. Things lined up one directly behind the other
7. In agreement (with SEE)
8. Completely covered, as carpet on a floor
9. In a confrontational manner
10. In direct competition (with GO)

Answer:

1. Hand to hand
2. Door to door
3. Heart to heart
4. Coast to coast
5. Elbow to elbow 
6. End to end
7. Eye to eye
8. Wall to wall
9. Toe to toe 
10. Head to head
MISSING LINK CLXXVI

Each trio of words below shares a Missing Link - that is, its members have something in common, obvious or not. For example, RIVERS, NOSES, & VIOLINS can all have BRIDGES.

1. Cell..........Guard..........Sentence
2. Nail..........Cattle..........Golf ball
3. Front..........Alarm..........Friend
4. Code..........Graph..........Exam
5. Cross..........Back..........Sure
6. Cat..........Star..........Jelly
7. Crew..........Bottle..........Turtle
8. Paint..........Print..........Food
9. Leading..........Burning..........Personal
10. Battery......Bond rating......Road Service Organization

Answers:

1. Prison
2. Things you can drive
3. Things that can be false
4. Bar
5. Fire
6. Kind of fish
7. Neck
8. Finger
9. Types of questions
10. AAA 




Wednesday, May 9, 2018

LA Times Crossword
May 9, 2018
Mark McClain

The answers to the clues below will have something in common.

1. Site of many kids' baseball games
2. Rural sign for "Out of the office"
3. Look of unbelief
4. Their "chicks" have flown
5. Non-scientific name for an evolutionary gap

Answers:

1. Vacant lot

2. "Gone fishing"
3. Blank stare
4. Empty nesters
5. Missing link

First words are synonyms for some kind of void.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

What do the following words have in common?

VOILE
LAMP
MILE
LUMP
AMPLE

Answer:

Each word is an anagram of a type of tree:

OLIVE
PALM
LIME
PLUM 
MAPLE
CAPITAL CLUES
.............. but where are the capitals?
Bruce Greig

Each clue below can be answered by two US state capitals, once you see the connection. But what's the connection?

1. Brianna polished off Jimbo's tonic water quickly.
2. That copier really is a lemon. It's broken again!
3. Connor walked over Sara's new garden - very rude!
4. Matt, Ren, Tony, please sign up Alec on Cord' team.
5. The chart for Daphne? It's with Columbo, I seem to recall.

Answers:

Each sentence conceals two state capitals:

1. briANNA POLIS off JimBO'S TONic water quickly.
2. that coPIER REally iS A LEMon. It's broken again!
3. connor walkeD OVER Sara's new garDEN-VERy rude! 
4. matT, REN, TONy, please sign up AleC ON CORD's team 
5. the cHART FOR Daphne? it's with columBO, I SEem to recall.
BAD PUNS XI
Con Pederson (#5 adapted)

The clues below can lead to five bad puns of familiar phrases.

1. Tethering tip for the owner of a wild seabird
2. Baum's lost magical mudslide book
3. What lions watch out for in the chase
4. Bar Harbor farewell
5. Soap opera featuring an entire cold bird

HINTS:
The first words of the familiar phrases are:
1. Wait
2. Oohs
3. Breaking
4. Chow
5. All

Answers:

1. Weight your tern
2. Ooze and Oz
3. Braking gnus
4. Ciao, Maine
5. All My Chilled Wren




Saturday, May 5, 2018

GAMES/World of Puzzles
April, 2018
Scott Erdman

What do the following words have in common?

DETONATE
OBLITERATE
RAINCHECK
BANKNOTE
DETERGENT
ACCORDION
FLYSWATTER
MELODRAMATIC

Answer:

Each word conceals a unit of measure:

deTONate
obLITERate
raINCHeck
banKNOTe
acCORDion
flysWATTer
meloDRAMatic
FACTUAL RIDDLES XXXI

1. When it comes to belly buttons, what is the percentage of innies to outies?
2. What is the only metal that doesn't rust?
3. How many nanoseconds are there in a minute?
4. What's a geophasiac?
5. What is meant by the phrase HOI POLLOI?

Answers:

1. Innies - 90% 
2. Gold
3. Sixty billion 
4. A person who eats dirt
5. The masses - everyday people
WHERE IT'S AT
Arlan and Linda Bushman

The answer to each clue is determined by the position of the word IT in the clue. For example, given the clue IT 10, the answer could be CLOSE TO PERFECT.

1. Tome IT
2. Pal IT Buddy
3. 9:00 a.m. 5:00p.m. IT
4. "Take IT my wife .... please."
5. IT.
6. 8:5 IT
7. Pat IT ton
8.       IT
9. Spades IT
10. Pos  ion
11. IT )
12. I think IT therefore I am
13. Red IT ro

Answers:

1. By the book
2. Among friends
3. After hours
4. Inside joke
5. Beside the point
6. Against the odds
7. In general
8. Next to nothing
9. Following suit
10. Out of position
11. Ahead of the curve
12. Within reason
13. In reverse order

X MARKS THE SPOT II
GAMES/World of Puzzles
April, 2018
Scott Erdman

The answer to each clue below is a word or name ending in X. With one exception, each answer begins with a different letter.

1. Finger used for pointing
2. Artificial, as fur
3. False kidnapping claim, for example
4. Be more cunning than
5. Clumsy oaf
6. Pioneering photocopying company
7. Tippy-top
8. Eponym of a classic riddle
9. "Mind you own ____________!"
10. Essence
11. Whirlpool
12. Person or thing that seems to bring bad luck
13. Like certain numbers or vitamins
14. Suited for both men and women
15. Wasp's midsection
16. Kind of car, kite, office, score, or seat
17. Seemingly contradictory truth
18. Address book alternative
19. When daytime equals nighttime
20. Tailless cat

Answers:

1. Index
2. Faux
3. Hoax
4. Outfox
5. Lummox
6. Xerox
7. Apex
8. Sphinx
9. Beeswax
10. Crux
11. Vortex
12. Jinx
13. Complex
14. Unisex
15. Thorax
16. Box
17. Paradox
18. Rolodex
19. Equinox
20. Manx
PARAPROSDOKIANS II

1. Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

2. A newly-married couple were going through a rough patch.
    "Admit it, Jayne," the husband said, "the only reason you married me was the ten million dollars my grandfather left me."
    "That's not true," answered Jayne, "it doesn't matter to me who left you the money."

3. "If I had to live my life over, I'd live over a saloon."
    (W.C. Fields)

Friday, May 4, 2018

NY Times Crossword
May 17, 1995
Ed Early (Ex. and #1-2)

How many familiar phrases can you think of that contain two or more human body parts? For example, given the clue More than ready for battle, the answer could be Armed to the teeth.

1. Emaciated
2. (Living) With nothing in reserve
3. Far more qualified than others
4. Medical device used during by-pass surgery
5. Argue bitterly
6. Very crowded
7. Stay alert
8. What most babies do before walking
9. Medical specialty
10. Children's song with movements

Answers:

1. All skin and bones
2. From hand to mouth
3. Head and shoulders above the rest
4. Heart-lung machine
5. Fight tooth and nail
6. Cheek to jowl
7. Keep your eyes and ears open
8. Crawl on their hands and knees
9. Ear, nose, and throat (ENT)
10. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,
      Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose

Thursday, May 3, 2018

UNUSUAL WORDS XX
Joseph Appel

Here is a list of words I don't like:

1. MUESLI - a grain high in fiber
2. RIPOSTE -  a quick, clever reply
3. LECHWE - an African antelope
4. CHIPOTLE - a chili pepper used in cooking
5. LAGNIAPPE - a bonus or extra gift
6. GRILSE - a young Atlantic salmon
7. JAPE - a joke or trick
8. CHARY - cautious, wary, not giving freely
9. TROPE -  a figure of speech

10. INCHOATE - just emerging, rudimentary 
11. POSIT - state as fact 
12. DEMESNE - in the feudal system, land attached to a manor reserved for use by the owner, as distinguished from land leased to tenant farmers
13. PUCE - a brownish purple color

 

The following words have something in common, with the exception of one of the words. Which word does not belong it the list?

AT
VENT
VERY
QUIP
LATE
TURN
ASTER
STATE
MOTION
QUALITY

Answer:

TURN does not belong in the list. All of the other words can be changed into new ones when preceded by E. 

Credit:
GAMES/World of Puzzles

April, 2018
David Baskind
SPELLING TEST FROM HELL #12

1. Pariah
2. League
3. Siege
4. Seize
5. Cocoa
6. Theorem
7. Recruit
8. Aplomb
9. Prism
10. Lewd
11. Tome
12. Malaise
13. Corollary
14. Condescends
15. Condolences
16. Equilibrium
17. Delirious
18. Pretentious
19. Garrulous
20. Loquacious


FLEXERS LXVIII

Answer each clue by matching it with one of the choices below. The choices are in random order. Wordplay is fair play.

1. Beginning of the end
2. Word on the street
3. They're all ears
4. Orderly fashion
5. Pilot's place
6. Get to the point
7. Pocket of the Mideast
8. Growing pains
9. Small world
10. Gambling lure

CHOICES:
a. Taper
b. Scrubs
c. Globe
d. Cornfields
e. Pita
f. A lot to offer
g. Stop
h. T
i. Water heater
j. Weeds

Answers:

1. h - T (beginning letter)
2. g - Stop (STOP sign)
3. d - Cornfields (ears of corn)
4. b - Scrubs (hospital worker)
5. i - Water heater (pilot light)
6. a - Taper
7. e - Pita (bread)
8. j - Weeds
9. c - Globe
10. f - A lot to offer ( A lotto offer)

Credits:
7: Joel Fagliano
10: Trip Payne


Wednesday, May 2, 2018

NY Times Crossword
April 15, 2018
Alex Bajcz
PREPOSITION PROPOSITION

The answers to each pair of clues below will have the exact same words, differing only by a hyphen between the first two words. For example, given the clue pair WAIT IN A QUEUE and UNDERSTUDY'S DELIVERY, the answers would be STAND IN LINE and STAND-IN LINE. The hyphenated phrase will always answer the second clue.

1. Move (as to a new country) and wagers for a gym exercise
2. Warned and a scam alert
3. Arrange words for instruments and soundtrack for a fight
4.Gain momentum and a bad thing to see under a truck's hood
5. Sad news at a hospital and a timely entrance
6. Have an emotional breakdown and musical encores often
7. Be perfect in every way and an unrecruited athlete's bottleful

Answers:

1. Pull up stakes and pull-up stakes
2. Put on notice and put-on notice
3. Set to music and set-to music
4. Pick up steam and pick-up steam
5. Dead on arrival and dead-on arrival 
6. Go to pieces and go-to pieces
7. Walk on water and walk-on water 
BE A BETTER ANAGRAMMER II

Many words are almost anagrams. That is, they differ by only a single letter - although they often look very different from each other. For example, MUTUAL and AUTUMN would be anagrams except for one letter - the L in MUTUAL and the N in AUTUMN.

Match each word in Column I with its one-letter-off anagram in Column II.

            I                               II
1. OBLONG                 LOUNGE
2. ENOUGH                 MEMBER
3. DEARTH                 AGENDA
4. SCOUR                    LAGOON
5. VAGUE                    THEORY
6. EMBLEM                HARDER
7. PERMIT                   OCCUR
8. MUSEUM                GUAVA
9. HOTTER                  IMPORT
10. DANGER               SUMMER

Answers:

1. OBLONG - LAGOON
2. ENOUGH - LOUNGE
3. DEARTH - HARDER
4. SCOUR - OCCUR
5. VAGUE - GUAVA
6. EMBLEM - MEMBER
7. PERMIT - IMPORT
8. MUSEUM - SUMMER 
9. HOTTER - THEORY
10. DANGER - AGENDA
ADD A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD LXXX

Add the designated letter to each word and re-arrange the letters to get a new word.

1. RICH + O
2. DOING + I
3. EVICT + A
4. NOISE + L
5. POISED + T
6. LOG IN + E
7. GREEN + E
8. ROUGH + C
9. OPERA + L
10. COURT + Y

HINTS:
1. Music
2. Color
3. Sore
4. Many
5. Earnest money
6. Many
7. Fail to keep your word
8. Oscar on Sesame Street
9. Supervised freedom
10. Loud speaking out

Answers:

1. CHOIR
2. INDIGO
3. ACTIVE
4. LESION
5. DEPOSIT
6. LEGION
7. RENEGE
8. GROUCH 
9. PAROLE
10. OUTCRY

DOUBLE DUTY CII

Fill in the blanks with words or letters which will complete the word or phrase beginning on the left and begin the word or phrase ending on the right. The number of blanks indicates the number of letters in the missing word.

1. CAT _ _ _ KITE
2. CROCK _ _ _ HOLE
3. TRICK _ _ _ _ CAP
4. UP _ _ _ _ _  BACK
5. TEN _ _ _ _ _ READ
6. SNOW _ _ _ _ _ WOOD
7. SECURITY _ _ _ _ _ DOG
8. OFF _ _ _ _ _ _ LOADED
9. DEATH _ _ _ _ _ _ GIRL
10. SCAR _ _ ROAD

HINTS:
The first of the missing letters:
1. B
2. P
3. K
4. S
5. S
6. D
7. G
8. S
9. V
10. A

Answers:

1. catBOXkite
2. crockPOThole
3. trickKNEEcap
4. upSCALEback
5. tenSPEEDread
6. snowDRIFTwood
7. securityGUARDdog
8. offSPRINGloaded
9. deathVALLEYgirl
10. scarABroad

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

1. The three phrases below have something in common. Can you determine what it is?

FBI AGENTS
CARRIAGE TRADE
CRIBBAGE BOARD

2. What do the four words below have in common?

FLY
POP
LINE
GROUND

3. What do the following phrase and words  have in common?

SURE THING
STAIR
PILLOW
ABACUS

HINTS:
1. It has to do with a time of life.
2. It has to do with a sport.
3. Each word suggests a familiar three-word phrase.

Answers:

1)
fbi AGEents
carriAGE trade
cribbAGE board - - - Middle age

2. They all are a type of OUT in baseball:

Fly out, pop out, line out, ground out

3.
Sure thing - BET ON IT
Stair - STEP ON IT
Pillow - SLEEP ON IT
Abacus - COUNT ON IT

Credits:
1: NY Times Crossword
    April 11, 2006
    Lee Glickstein and Nancy Salomon 
2: LA Times Crossword
    April 16, 2018
    Jake Braun 


THREE RIDDLES

1. A couple posed for a picture. What day of the week was it?

2. What do achieving perpetual motion, discovering the Fountain of Youth, and programming a VCR have in common?

3. How much does a pair of pirate earrings cost?

Answers:

1. SATurday 
2. They're all impossible. 
3. $2.00 - A buck an ear

Credits:
1. Arthur Eaglejam
2. William S. Cotter 
3. Adam G. Perl
The same two letters, in the same, consecutive order, can be added to each word below to make new words. What are the letters and what are the new words?

MAN
DRY
MINUTE

HINT:
The two letters are the postal abbreviation of a US state.

Answer:

The letters are IA (Iowa):

MANIA
DIARY
MINUTIAE
How many phrases can you think of that can be written using just numbers? The hints below lead to ten of them.

1. Common wooden beam size
2. Roger
3. Never closed
4. Common photo size
5. "Natural" in craps
6. Shared equally
7. Index card
8. Standard notebook paper
9. Standard baking dish
10. Emergency telephone or the date of the attack on the World Trade Centers

Answers:

1. 2 x 4
2. 10 - 4
3. 24/7
4. 8 x 10
5. 7 or 11*
6. 50 - 50
7. 3 x 5
8. 8 1/2 x 11
9. 9 x 13
10. 9-1-1 or 9/11

*7- Eleven convenience stores always write out the 11.


NY Times Crossword
April 11, 2010
Patrick Berry (#1-5)

Ignoring spelling, each of the following words can be changed in the same way to form new words. What change has to be made, and what are the new words?

1. CUE
2. MISS
3. TREE
4. WARREN
5. MY
6. GILL
7. FALL
8. TOES
9. DEIGN

HINTS:
A. PAR could be added to the list.
B. The change involves adding the same sound to the end of each of the words.

Answers:

Adding the sound TEE to each word will change it into a new one:

1. CUTIE
2. MISTY
3. TREATY
4. WARRANTY
5. MIGHTY 
6. GUILTY
7. FAULTY
8. TOASTY
9. DAINTY 




NY Times Crossword
April 28, 2010
Andrea Carla Michaels and Peter L. Stein

What do the following words have to do with a teapot part?

IN
ELL
ACE
ORE
RING

Answer:

Each word could be preceded by SP:

SPIN
SPELL
SPACE
SPORE
SPRING - - - SP (is left) OUT - - - SPOUT